sOmE IntErEstIng thIngs::

• The Philippines is one of the largest island group in the world with 7,107 islands and islets lying off the southwest coast of the Asian mainland between Taiwan and Borneo
• Manila is the seat of administration and the center of commerce and industry, culture, the arts, and education. It is the largest and most important city in the Philippines.
• The Philippines have 11 languages and 87 dialects in the archipalego. Filipinos are bilingual. Pilipino, based on the Tagalog language, is the national language. English is the basic language for business, government, schools and ordinary communication. Spanish is also another language that is fluently spoken.
• The primary religion of the Philippines is Roman Catholic. It takes up 85 percent of the population. It is the only country in Asia that has a Christian majority. Other Filipinos also part of the Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan) and Iglesia ni Kristo, Church of Christ. There is also the Muslim religion which is mostly practiced at the southern end of the country.
• The Philippines have three major islands, namely: Luzon, the largest island where the capital of the Philippines is situated. Also the Cagayan River is located here. It is the longest river in the Philipines; Visayas, known for it's beaches and coves; and Mindanao, whose exotic forests attracts nature lovers. It is also the home of Mount Apo, the highest peak in the Philipines.
• Philipines has a Tropical Climate . There are three seasons: the wet and rainy season that lasts from June to October; the cool, dry weather lasting from November to February; and their hot, dry weather from March to May.
• The national anthem is: "Land of the Morning"

sOmE stAts::

• 20% of the present Asian-American population is from the Philippines
• among Filipino families living in the U.S., only 7% live below the poverty line
• Filipinos are fast-becoming the largest group of Asian immigrants
• by the year 2000, there will be over 2,000,000 Filipinos in this country

why thEy cAmE hErE::

• Filipinos originally immigrated to the U.S. in the early part of the 20th century as workers on Hawaiian plantations, in agricultural fields of California, and mess halls of the U.S. Navy

hArdshIps thEy hAd tO OvErcOmE::

• The 1902 Cooper Act defined Filipinos as citizens of the Philippine Islands, who were entitled to protection by the U.S. government, but not U.S. citizenship.
  
• they were not allowed to vote
• they could not become natural citizens
• they could not join the U.S. armed forces
• they could not establish a commercial business
• they could not own real estate
• they could not hold a public or private office at any level
• they could not live in U.S. residential communities

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AziaNNaTioN